Stronger
by Yukichoji
Summary: Moose comes to New York bearing a dark spot in his past. Looking for a new start, Luke is what he finds. Or rather, Luke finds him. Slash, non-con. Others/Moose, eventual Luke/Moose. Don't like, don't read. TEMPORARILY paused.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Stronger

Author: Yukichouji

Pairing: Luke/Moose, Others/Moose

Rating: NC-17

Warnings: Swearing, Violence, Non-con (Hinted at in this chapter, more explicit later), Dancing and Hip-Hop Music

Disclaimer: They are clearly not mine. Probably better that way.

Notes: In this chapter I'm mostly just retelling the beginning of the movie with a few little twists and changes to make my idea work. After this chapter things will get a little more freestyle, but I will try to keep true to the movie mostly. Tell me what you think. Don't hold back.

Notes(2): Title shamelessly stolen from Kanye West's song 'Stronger'.

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><p>When he slowly, weakly peels open his eyes, the world is so bright he can't see a thing except for an amorphous white light. For a moment he wonders if he has died and these are his first glimpses of heaven. If this is heaven, then he doesn't think he likes it very much.<p>

There is a steady beeping sound somewhere to his left and that doesn't seem quite right. He wonders about that, trying to make some kind of sense of it, but his mind is so foggy he couldn't see his own hand if it was right in front of his face. Then, like it's been stuck a few instants back in time and is just now catching up with him, pain starts to seep into his consciousness.

At first it's just a slow ache in his bones, vague and detached, but it doesn't stay that way for long. Before he can even fully register it, the pain has turned into the jackhammer beat of the worst fucking song he can imagine. He tries desperately to remember what happened to him, where the hell he is, but all that he encounters is blankness. When he tries to move he finds that he can't.

The panic slides into his lungs, hot and cold at once, choking him, bubbling up into his throat, forcing its way out and suddenly he's screaming.

The beeping noise to his left goes wild and he thinks that he just might be losing his mind.

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><p>The sun is shining, the sky is blue, the trees are green and the birds are chirp-chirpy-chirping their songs.<p>

Today life is good.

Because he's finally made it to New York City, the place where all kinds of dreams come true and all he can think about right now is that personal little piece of freedom that's waiting here for him.

A new start, a new game. Something he's been wishing for desperately ever since that day almost a year ago when he woke up in the hospital with no memories of what had happened to him or how he'd gotten there.

Moose pushes away the threads of anxiety that want to mess up his mood and takes a deep breath, straightens his t-shirt and sets his cap right. This is going to be it, he just knows it. He and Camille together in NYCU, rocking the place upside down. Just like they've been going on about for the better part of last year. He's been waiting to get as far away from Maryland as humanly possible and that's pretty much the only thing that's kept him sane after everything.

Now all he has to do is to get rid of his parents.

Which is a lot harder than it should be, but he's pretty much expected that. Actually he's still kind of surprised that they agreed to let him go at all. Both of them, especially his mom, have reached a whole new level of clingy and overprotective. In the first few months after he'd gotten out of the hospital, they hadn't even let him leave the house alone. They still refuse to tell him what happened after The Streets that night that messed him up so bad. Although they probably don't know much more than what the doctor told them; 7 ribs bruised, 3 broken, a broken nose and cracked jawbone, fractured left wrist and sprained ankle, a multitude of nasty scrapes, bruises and contusions. It had taken ages for him to look normal again, let alone move.

When his mom hugs him goodbye she won't let him go until he practically forces her to. The group of freshmen straggling up to take the campus tour is getting bigger. He mentally pleads with his mom: _please be cool._

"I'm ok. Everything's going to be fine." He reassures her, but not just her. Himself as well. Moose tries to shake all thoughts but the good ones as he waves goodbye to his mom and dad.

_I'm glad you finally decided to quit dancing._ His father's words stay with him, circling in his mind. It's not like he had much of a choice. It's not like they would have let him continue.

Camille gives him one of her half smiles and looks at him as though she knows exactly what he's thinking again, and she probably does. He can't help but smile back despite himself. She's here with him and he is so endlessly glad for it. He really doesn't know what he'd be doing without her. Moose is pretty damn sure wouldn't be here right now. She's the best friend he's ever had and the one person who has really gotten him through everything. And now they're here and it's time to get things going.

They start walking after their group again, when a guy brushes past him and then, all of a sudden, there's this silver-green flash right in front of him, like some kind of revelation and he can't take his eyes off it.

"Those are the limited edition Gun Metal Nike Dunks." He can't fucking believe it. Those shoes have got to be one of the single coolest things he's ever seen. A rush of excitement that he hasn't felt in far too long blasts through his system and he knows he has no other choice.

Camille gets that exasperated look. "Oh no. I know what you're thinking!"

"I promise I'll catch up to you right away! I just need to check this out. Cover for me, please?" He can't even peel his eyes away long enough to look at her while he speaks.

She sighs, but lets him go anyway.

So he leaves Camille to the tour and follows those shoes, because he just has to find the guy whose feet they're on.

And before he knows it, he's stumbled into some kind of dance competition right in the middle of Central Park. People are all around him, cheering and laughing and betting money on who's gonna win.

Moose can't help but stop and watch. More like gawk. That kid dressed all in black is pulling some pretty sick moves. The beat blasting out of the boom box next to him fills Moose up and it feels fucking amazing.

He really has no intention on joining in, but when someone accidentally shoves him forwards he's suddenly right in the middle of it all. His promise comes to mind, the words his mother made him swear when she was finally allowed to take him home from the hospital.

"_I'll never dance again."_

But that kid is starring straight at him like Moose is a piece of gum under his shoe and pulls some kind of swanky show right in front of Moose and what the hell, Moose's never been one to back down from a challenge so he just goes for it.

And boy does he go for it.

There's a short moment of hesitation, but then he starts to dance and all awkwardness is gone in a flash. He hasn't felt this free in ages. Has almost forgotten what dancing feels like until his body takes over just like that and bam, there it is again. The beat of the music floods him like a fever and he just moves without thinking. It's as if he's never really stopped.

He jumps around on picnic tables, messes up some guy's sales booth and bursts bubbles to the melody of the song. God, he hadn't even known how much he'd really missed this. He jumps off of a stone bench backwards, right into a giant net filled up with colorful balloons. The net opens and the balloons float towards the clouds just as the song ends.

And then, all of a sudden, that sales guy is all over him for letting his stupid balloons loose and the rent-a-cops are running toward him. Reality kicks right back in.

Some guy with a video camera grabs his arm and starts pulling him away. When Moose looks down, he sees the silver Gun Metal Nike Dunks gleaming up at him.

"Come on man, they're after you!"

So before he really knows what's happening, he's running after the guy. Right through the park, nearly colliding with a bunch of skaters and fuck, those wannabe cops are still after him. And he can't fucking do this shit. He has to get back to Camille and that college tour, back to what he came here for. Away from the trouble he swore he wouldn't get himself into.

But the guy won't listen to him and then the crazy fucker pulls that stunt where he just fucking jumps right over a hot dog stand's grill and Moose doesn't really have a choice but to follow him.

"_Jump first, fear later." My ass._

By the time the guy finally slows down in front of some back alley's gate and starts unlocking it Moose is whipped. Damn, that guy is fast.

Finally, when Moose gets a chance to catch his breath the guy introduces himself as Luke.

Moose just does what he always does when he's nervous – he talks about a mile a minute. Something about Luke's easy self-assured confidence gets to Moose though and it calms him down slowly. Luke acts like they've known each other for ages, even if it's been just a few minutes, really.

Luke starts to talk about how Moose is the type of person that was born to dance and New York is just the city for it. What does he call him? A 'Befab'? 'Born from a Boom Box'? That is pretty much the strangest thing Moose has heard in a while. Then Luke starts going on about the guys in the park, this giant battle called the 'World Jam' and how Moose should be in it. It's all kind of crazy, really, but for some weird reason, when Luke asks him to jump into his car, he just does.

And then the neon ocean that is New York City's Times Square flows past him, a bright blinking rainbow against the darkening night sky and it's like nothing he's ever seen before. There's that feeling again, that taste of freedom, of how things could be out here and he knows that he's being stupid and crazy, but he doesn't think he ever wants to stop. It just feels very chill, sitting next to Luke, who's a complete stranger, trusting him just like that and smiling with him like it's the most natural thing in the world.

When they cross the river with the two parallel illuminated bridges flying over the pitch black water, the sight takes his breath away.

After what feels like hours, Luke finally pulls his car to a stop in some deserted, dirty alley in the outskirts of Brooklyn' bay area. They left the safe-looking parts of town behind a while ago and Moose slowly but surely begins to wonder if he has really made such a good decision.

"Where the heck is this place?" He asks, but Luke just says "Come on." and disappears through the rusty door of something that looks like an old warehouse, so Moose follows him. Because really, what other choice does he have? He's sure as hell not staying out here in this stupid dark and filthy alley alone.

"Welcome to my house. The house of the Pirates." Luke says, like it's the coolest thing ever and pulls open the door to an old freight elevator.

"Nice place." Moose looks around dubiously. "It's a little small to live in."

Luke grins at him and starts the elevator. "This used to be a warehouse, but my parents converted this place years ago. We all live and train upstairs. It's like our secret hideout. And there's a club in the basement."

Moose has no answer to that. He thinks this might be starting to freak him out a bit.

Then they reach the top level and with the words "We call this the vault." Luke slides open the heavy steel doors of the elevator.

What Moose sees when he steps out of the lift is just fucking amazing. It really is like walking into some kind of secret hide out, only one that has been designed after stealing the secret fantasies out of a horde of young dancer's heads.

It's one giant room with a metal staircase that leads to a second floor; there are tents and loft beds, piled in twos and threes, areas on the floor and wall are covered with soft colorful patches, all kinds of other awesome stuff. Kids, some his age, some older, are jumping around all over the place, dancing to the beat that's blasting through the room.

Luke gives him the tour. He tells Moose about how he picked up all of those kids from the streets, crazy talent but with no place to go, and gave them a place they could call home for a while. They eat and sleep and train here together for all kinds of battles and apparently the World Jam is their next goal. Together, they're all some kind of surrogate family, their number one rule is 'fuck all rules' as long as everybody can be themselves.

Moose is half aware of the fact that his mouth is probably hanging open throughout the entire tour, but he doesn't really care. He can't remember having seen anything this sick ever. This has to be every teenage dancer's dream come true.

And then Luke starts introducing him around. The taller boy points at two guys approaching them whom Moose can only tell apart by the different colored sweater jackets they're wearing. Aside from that they look one hundred percent identical.

"Thing one and thing two over there, those are the Santiago twins."

Two seconds later they are all over Moose, talking so fast he briefly wonders how they manage to breathe in between sentences. Moose would swear he could only understand half of what they're saying. But he thinks he gets something about him dancing in the park earlier. And before he knows it, they are off again. He feels a bit dizzy.

A black guy in a blue and orange sweater with a bunch of papers in his hands approaches Luke and walks right past Moose, but Luke introduces him as Jacob and they shake hands. Jacob has a strange accent, but he's very polite.

"This guy's the captain of the ship." Luke says and smiles brightly.

Jacob gins back calmly. "More like the first mate." Then he turns to Moose. "I heard you did some impressive moves in the park today."

"How does everybody know that?" Moose asks confusedly.

"News travel fast when you beat someone like Kid Darkness." Jacob answers and then turns back to Luke. "I need to borrow you for a moment."

Moose is even more confused now than he was before. He really has no idea what he's gotten himself into here.

"Can't that wait? I gotta show him around." Luke claps Moose's shoulder amicably.

Right at that moment three black boys about Moose's age show up in front of them, all bouncy excitement and happy chatter. One of them has a huge afro, another is wearing blue-rimmed glasses and the third one's running around in flap trousers and colorfully striped socks.

"We can show him around!"

Luke looks at them dubiously. "I don't know about that."

"Come on Luke, please! What would Jesus do?"

That one has Moose laughing.

"All right." Luke gives in. "Don't hurt him!"

Luke just about has enough time to turn toward him once more and tell him "Those are the Ticks. Good luck." And then the three of them are all over Moose, grabbing his arms and shoulders overexcitedly and he really doesn't have the slightest chance to protest while they drag him away.

He sees Luke talking to Jacob, making pretty serious faces, for another second, but then he's standing at the huge dining table, surrounded by a bunch of kids asking him all kinds of questions all at once and he has no idea where to start. So he does the only thing he can think of right now and starts showing them some of his dance moves.

Everyone's laughing and clapping and the vibe is so catching that he can't help but laugh along.

Then one of them gets out their mobile and shows a clip of Moose dancing in the park. All of them get excited and they start talking at once again.

"Nobody's ever smoked Kid Darkness AND gotten it on tape!"

"That was seriously sick shit, man!"

"You think the Samurai are just gonna let you go like that?" A daunting Latino guy with black hair slicked back in a ponytail, a stylishly shaved beard and a heavy accent, who had been introduced as 'Carlos', steps forward. "They'll find you and they'll battle you again."

"The Samu-Who?" Moose looks around confusedly.

"The house of the Samurai." Someone offers, like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"They're the toughest house in the city." One of the Santiago twins chimes in. "They're our fiercest rival."

"What do you mean they're going to find me?" Ok, so this might be getting a bit scary.

"They have technology out there, you know. Like the bears with GPS inside?" One of the ticks says and then all of them are laughing again.

Thankfully that's when Luke makes his appearance again. He steps up behind Moose, throws an arm across Moose's shoulders and casually claps his chest once.

"Come on. That's enough." Luke tells the others. "Don't let them freak you out, man. You're with us now."

"And nobody messes with us. Not even the Samurai." Jacob adds kindly.

"Not unless you wanna get roasted!"

And just like that, with Luke's arm around his shoulders, and his back laxly touching Luke's chest it's ok again.

The Santiago twins say something weird that nobody really gets and over the confusion it seems that they've already forgotten all about it. Moose doesn't quite know what to make of these kids, but he thinks he kind of likes them. It's hard not to, really.

Luke gets distracted though and before Moose knows it he's slipped away to the opposite wall where, apparently, there are some monitors for the surveillance cameras down in the club, placed conveniently next to the refrigerator.

Luke talks to Jacob for a moment and points at something on one of the screens, but Moose can't hear what they're saying. Then Luke turns around again and invites him down for a tour of the club with a grin on his face. That pretty much sounds like an offer Moose can't refuse, so he leaves the rest of the kids and follows Luke back to the elevator.

The club is just crazy. Fancy neon lights against cold concrete mixed with searchlight beams sliding and flickering over the ground, solid rusty mesh walls pulled up to the ceiling and bulky columns growing out of the dance floors. There are people everywhere, breaking to the beat of the music that thrums right through Moose's bones, and going crazy showing off their moves.

He follows Luke through the crowd and stops at a circle of people built around some guy doing backflips on the graffiti-painted dance floor.

"Crazy, isn't it? Hang out, look around. I'll be back in a second." Luke gives him another friendly clap on the shoulder and then disappears into the crowed, but Moose hardly pays attention to him, he's so focused on the stuff going on in front of him. That shit is sick!

The only thing that can eventually pull Moose away from the crowd is his bladder telling him if he doesn't find a toilet within the next ten minutes or so, things are gonna get ugly. He looks around the club until he stumbles upon a door with bright orange neon letters on it, spelling the word 'HEAD'.

_Nice, _he thinks and pulls it open to reveal a darkish hallway where the walls are striped with fancy bars of blue neon light. Moose steps inside and lets the door fall closed behind him.

For a moment he thinks he hears quiet steps behind him so he turns around, but aside from himself there's no one there. He puts it down to nerves, shakes his head at himself and walks into the men's room.

It's kind of filthy and rundown and lit much brighter than the club itself, which doesn't really compliment it. There's a row of sinks in the middle of the room separating the toilet stalls on the right wall from the urinals lining the left wall. Moose picks one of the urinals and gives his bladder some much needed relief.

He's barely finished zipping up his pants when a bulky black guy walks into the room and tears off bits of cloth from his jacket, revealing 4 miniature boxes integrated into the piece of clothing and stares him down threateningly. If Moose had the time he'd wonder about how fucking weird that is.

"Nobody battles the Samurai just once." The dark guy say, lifts the wrist with the far too big golden watch on it and when he presses a button there, music starts to blast from the speakers in his jacket.

He walks toward Moose, moving to the beat, backing him up first into the corner then towards the toilet stalls. Another guy, dressed all in black as well, appears, holding a cellphone and recording the whole thing. He jumps onto the chest high wall in the middle of the sinks to get a better angle. A third dude jumps out of one of the stalls, nearly knocking Moose down with the door.

"What? Now you're scared?"

This is crazy! They have got to be kidding him. Moose needs to get out of there and now. He swings on one of the bars atop the toilet stalls and then makes a wild leap for the doorway, but the guy with the boxes steppes in his way and Moose runs right into him. Boxes shoves him back into the room.

"We ain't lettin you go! Who said it's over yet?"

_Shit, shit, shit!_

Fear takes a hold of his chest and claws up into his throat, making it hard to breathe. All three of them are broader and taller than him. When it comes down to it, Moose knows that he wouldn't stand a chance.

Moose has to think quickly. He goes for distraction, doing a few spins on one of the sinks. He uses the opportunity to get a handful of water and splashes it into Boxes' face and when the guy reflexively shuts his eyes and takes a step to the side, Moose goes for the doorway again. This time he makes it.

He can hear them calling after him, but he just runs for the club and right into the crowd, frantically scanning it for faces he knows. The crowd parts for him and his followers and then he slips on the smooth dance floor and falls. He bumps his elbow painfully and loses his hat as he struggles to crawl backwards, his heart racing in his chest.

The next thing he knows two pairs of hands are grabbing his arms and shoulders and pulling him back onto his feet. Moose's relief is overwhelming, when he sees that it's Jacob and Carlos. They move in front of him right away and when Moose takes a step back, Luke is already there, back to chest.

The others were right behind him and now they're pulling off their show on the dance floor. The guy who Moose battled and won against that morning in the park – what did they call him? Kid Darkness? – makes an entrance, jumping over the backs of his team mates and hitting the floor with crazy spins and twirls like he's never gonna stop. All Moose can do is stand there with his mouth hanging open, his heart hammering against his ribs and watch.

Luke has a firm grasp on his shoulder the entire time and he tries to concentrate on that, because all of this is more frightening than it should be. Moose can feel it in his gut, something that's been smoldering in his unconscious but shies away if he tries to get a hold of it. It amplifies the fear and makes the air in his lungs seem thick and sticky, moving in and out too slowly to get the amount of oxygen to his brain that he needs to think clearly. The voices around him and the music begin to blend into one another and become some undistinguishable white noise in his ears.

Kid Darkness ends his show, all swagger and overgrown self-confidence, and steps towards Moose, but Carlos and the Santiago twins put themselves in his way, holding him back, away from Moose.

"I just want a few rounds with the kid." Kid Darkness says, pointing his finger at Moose and staring him straight in the eye. "We've got some unfinished business, you and me."

_I just want a few rounds with the kid._

Those words. They trigger something inside of Moose's mind and all of a sudden his head feels like it's about to explode. He hears them again, but slightly different and this time the voice is another. It's lower, darker, so much more frightening.

_What's wrong, kid? Don't you wanna go a few rounds with me?_

Moose wants to yell, but his chest is so tight he can't make a sound leave his mouth. _Don't panic, don't panic _is what he repeats over and over in his thoughts. He tries to remember what the doctor told him before they let him leave the hospital. That his memories of what happened that night might never come back, but they probably will when his subconscious is ready to let them loose and that, when it happens they will either return as bits and pieces, certain intervals of time apart and for no apparent reason, or they might be triggered by something. The trigger could be anything, a sound, a smell, a feeling, or a certain combination of words to bring it all rushing in.

Vaguely and barely registering the words, he hears Luke say. "You wanna get to him, you gotta go through us."

And the next thing he knows the crowd switches into motion all at once, yells and shouts burst out around him as the entire club either throws itself into the fight that has just exploded in front of him or tries to get away from it. Moose gets pushed and shoved around, has no place to move and then pain begins to explode all over his body. He tries desperately to tell himself that it has to be phantom pain, injuries long since healed reliving the moment they were inflicted, but it hurts, hurts, hurts. Fire races through his wrist, his ribs, his back, stomach, everywhere.

And after all of that time trying to remember until his head pounded so hard he was ready to cut it off, all of a sudden he doesn't want to remember anymore. It's too much, too fast, too intense, more than he can take. Blurred visions start to pop up along with the pain. It accelerates into something so fierce and frightening that he thinks for a moment that he's losing his mind until something inside of him just snaps and everything is swallowed up by a tide of blessedly numbing blackness.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: ? (2/?)

Author: Yukichouji

Beta: The wonderful khaleesian (lj), without whom this would not nearly be as good as it is.

Pairing: Luke/Moose, Others/Moose

Rating: NC-17

Warnings: Swearing, Violence, Non-con (Hinted at in this chapter, more explicit later), Dancing and Hip-Hop Music

Disclaimer: They are clearly not mine. Probably better that way.

Notes: Finally chapter two is ready :) I am sorry it took me so long, but I'm afraid I am a slow writer. Though I'm most definitely planning on continuing this! Thank you especially to those of you who took the time to write a comment! :) And thank you also to all of you who favorited my story! :) Those are the things that make writing worth while. Now, please sit back and enjoy the new chapter :)

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><p>When Luke sees Moose for the first time, dancing Kid Darkness into the ground like he was born to do it, Luke knows that he's special. The kid looks like he's flying and there's that glow about him that people get when they're doing the one thing that makes them happy. And most importantly he has his own unique style, all flow and slide, not as aggressive as most others Luke has seen and filmed.<p>

That's exactly the thing he's looking for. The perfect addition to the house of Pirates. Luke is pretty sure his mates will love the kid.

So Luke goes straight for it. He's never been the type to waste time dancing around the subject. If there's something you want, you either go get it, or leave it alone.

Luke manages to get the kid out of there, before the cops get hold of him after letting loose that net full of balloons, which had been a pretty cool move actually.

The kid introduces himself as 'Robert Alexander III, but you can call me Moose'.

Luke wonders about that nickname briefly, but then again, he's probably heard weirder ones. The kid seems to have a sense of fun, even though he clearly has no idea what kind of talent he's harboring. Luke's decision to change that comes immediately. You can't deny what's always been and always will be a part of your soul.

So naturally, he takes the kid – Moose – home. And introduces him to the house of Pirates. The effect it has on the kid is the same it always does. Overwhelmed amazement. There is hardly anything Luke is as proud of as these kids and the place they call their home. He wishes his parents were here to see all of it, to see what their dream grew into.

It's not perfect though, not entirely. As Jacob reminds him again, the bank has sent another notice. They are six months late on their rent and the bank is threatening to put the warehouse up for public auction. The club downstairs isn't bringing in the money it used to. But that's OK. As soon as they win the World Jam they'll have more than enough money to pay their debt and do something for the club to make it a little more attractive again. They just need to hold out that long somehow.

With a bit of training, he's positive that Moose can be just the motivation the others need to stomp all competition into the dance floor.

And then another good thing happens. He must be really god damn lucky tonight, Luke thinks, because when he throws a glance at the surveillance monitors that show the club downstairs, he sees a flash of long brown hair and acrobatic dance moves and he knows that she's back.

Luke pulls Jacob to the side and shows him. They've talked about that girl. Her style is great. Luke is sure they can use it. All he needs to do is get a hold of her long enough to convince her. He decides to kill two birds with one stone and invites Moose to see the club.

Downstairs he leaves the kid to himself, gives him some time to absorb everything, or stand there staring with his mouth agape. That seems to be the kid's favorite expression, Luke notes with a smirk.

He's brought his camera and when he finds the girl, he gets her on tape. She puts on a show for him, dancing with some guys, playing around with the effects of the neon lights. She's damn good. Before Luke can talk to her though, she's disappeared into the crowd again and she's gone.

He doesn't have much time to look for her. There's a commotion at the other side of the club and when he pushes through to see what's going on, Kid Darkness and some other members of the Samurai are putting on their show. Luke spots Moose, shielded by Jacob, Carlos and the Santiago twins, sees the frightened expression on the kid's face.

He's behind Moose in a heartbeat, lays a hand on the kid's shoulder and squeezes reassuringly. Nobody's gonna touch the kid as long as Luke is around, least of all in _his _fucking club. These assholes keep getting bolder.

When Kid Darkness steps forward pointing at Moose and says "I just want a few rounds with the kid. We've got some unfinished business, me and you." Luke has had enough.

He pushes himself in front of Moose and stares Kid Darkness down. "If you wanna get to him, you gotta go through us." And Luke is pretty determined to make that statement sink in. No member of the Samurai have any right to even be near this place.

"Oh, yeah?" Kid Darkness retorts, all swagger and misplaced bravado. "Why don't you let your boy finish his own battles?"

"He's one of us now. You can't touch him." One of the Santiago twins chimes in. Luke'll be damned if he'll ever be able to tell them apart properly, even after all this time.

Kid Darkness wrinkles his nose arrogantly. "I didn't even understand what you just said."

"Hey! Don't disrespect my crew!" Carlos snarls and that's pretty much all it takes to get fists flying.

From one moment to the next, the whole club is a part of the fight. Somewhere to his left Luke spots the girl from before. She's caught up in a hustle and he's about to go for her, when he hears the kid's voice behind him, shouting something Luke can't understand. He turns around and finds Moose shoved against a beam, skin too pale, eyes wide and terrified.

The kid looks like he's having a breakdown and Luke has seen enough to read the signs. Picking up kids from the streets gets you accustomed to some of the nastier aspects of life as well. Jacob is the one closest to him, so Luke grabs his arm and tells him to get the girl out of here so he can go for Moose.

When Luke finally manages to push his way through to the kid, Moose is so lost in whatever is happening inside his head that he doesn't react to Luke at all. He just stares and trembles and breathes way too fast. Luke knows that he has to get the kid out of here, so he does the first thing that comes to mind and sweeps Moose up into his arms.

The kid hardly weighs anything at all, but he clings to Luke like he's some sort of lifeline. Luke somehow manages to get both of them to the other end of the club and into the elevator without having to hurt anyone in the process and as the doors slide shut the noise and commotion finally fade.

So now he's standing there with an arm full of the kid, Moose's long and skinny limbs wrapped around his shoulders and his waist as he waits for the elevator to reach the Vault, whispering softly into the kid's ear, trying to calm him down. Luke thinks it's probably safe to say, that this was not what he'd expected, when he'd picked the kid up this morning.

Luke deliberately carries him up the narrow iron stairs and along the landing and to his room. One of the benefits of being the 'captain of the ship', as the others like to call it, is privacy. He's the only one with an entire room to himself, even if it's small, and he values his space dearly. The rest of the crew sleep downstairs on cots, loft beds or in makeshift tents.

Thankfully, it seems as though the kid has calmed down a bit. Moose's breathing is more even than it was before and he's buried his face at Luke's shoulder, warm bursts of air dampening the cloth and soft stray curls tickling Luke's neck. But the kid still won't let go.

Luke sits them down onto the corner of his bed. He hasn't had to deal with something like this in a while. Briefly he wonders what caused this little breakdown, but then again, it could have been a million different things. No telling right now.

Carefully, Luke tries to loosen the kid's hold on him, but he gets no reaction.

"You have to let go now." He says softly.

In response, the arms around him tighten even more.

Luke brushes a few of the unruly, long curls aside and reveals an eye, pressed firmly shut, long black lashes sticking to the wet trails that run down the kid's pale cheek, red lips parted for breath. Moose looks very small and way too young like that. Vulnerable and open. Luke brushes the curls behind Moose's ear and sighs.

"It's ok. I'm not going anywhere." It's not like he can.

Pushing aside an old sweater, Luke grabs his pillow and coaxes Moose down carefully, onto their sides so neither of them has to bear the other's weight. Not that the kid is heavy enough to do Luke any real damage, but it would make things slightly more awkward.

Luke tries to stay awake, watching as the kid's breath evens out further, muscles relaxing their unconscious grip, but it's been a long day and he has slept under a lot worse circumstances. Holding a warm body next to his, soft hair brushing his cheek, isn't exactly what he'd call uncomfortable either, even if the position isn't the most beneficial.

He falls asleep listening to the soft and steady heartbeat next to his.

* * *

><p>Luke wakes up the next morning, when somebody softly shakes at his shoulder and whispers his name. He peels open his eyes to reveal Jacob's face above him.<p>

He lifts his hand to wipe some of the sleep from his eyes.

"What time is it?" He asks quietly.

"6 am."

"Who are you trying to impress, being up this early?" Luke pushes the words past a yawn.

"Mostly you." Jacob says. Luke has to grin at that.

"What happened last night?" Jacob asks and nods towards the still-sleeping bundle, loosely wrapped around Luke's body.

Luke looks down at the kid. Moose's hair has gotten all messed up in his sleep, it reminds Luke strongly of a birds nest. His clothes are wrinkled and disheveled, but his face looks a lot more peaceful than last night, eyes closed and mouth slack.

He shifts his attention back to Jacob. "I have no idea. Some kind of panic attack, I guess."

"Is he alright now?" Over time, Luke has come to like Jacob's quiet concern and his polite ways.

"I think so." He says. "What about the girl?"

"She is sleeping downstairs." Jacob tells him. "She had nowhere to go, so I offered her a cot."

"Good."

Luke pushes himself into a sitting position carefully. Moose's arms slip from around his neck and Luke gently tucks them back onto the mattress. The kid unconsciously scoots closer to the warm spot on the covers, where Luke's back had lain. One of Luke's arms has fallen asleep overnight and he rubs it to counter the pins and needles.

Jacob smiles warmly. "Don't you want to wake him up?"

"Uh, yeah, sure. Do you know if we have any cereal left?"

"I'm not sure." Jacob says and smiles again. "I will see if I can find something."

As Jacob leaves, Luke brushes his hands over his face again and looks down at himself. He laughs softly. _Haven't slept in my shoes for a while._

Enjoying the first rays of the morning sun that filter through his window Luke takes another look at the boy lying next to him. He's not quite sure what kind of catch he's made with this one, but he plans on finding out.

Luke reaches out and brushes some of the locks covering the kid's face away.

"Hey, Moose. Time to wake up." He says and pats the boy's side lightly.

Moose swats Luke's hand away and mumbles something unintelligible before he peels his eyes open carefully and looks up at Luke, dazed confusion written all over his face.

Then, from one moment to the next, the kid is wide awake. Moose makes a startled noise and jumps up and out of the bed so fast he nearly falls over his own legs.

"Oh, my god." He breathes and washes his face in his hands. "What time is it?"

Luke is a bit surprised, out of all of the possible questions that wasn't one he'd expected, but he takes a look at his watch anyway.

"It's 6:14. In the morning."

"Shit!" Moose runs his hands through his hair and starts moving about the room frantically, rushing towards his backpack when he spots it in a corner next to the doorway.

"Wow. Kid. Chill." Luke says and follows Moose's actions bemusedly.

"Can't." Moose says while he shoulders his backpack hastily and then goes for his cap that had fallen beside the bed some time during the night, pulls it over his head lopsidedly. He looks more than a bit disheveled. "There is no way I can be late for my first day of college."

The kid is already halfway out of the door before Luke can heave himself out of bed.

"Wait." He calls after Moose and quickly grabs the jacket with the car keys. "You have no idea where you are. I'll drive you."

"Ok, thanks!" Moose shouts. It sounds like he's already at the other end of the stairs so Luke abandons all else and jogs after the kid.

Passing by the kitchen on his way to the elevator Luke grabs an apple and jumps in after Moose.

The kid is quiet and nervous during the entire drive and when they reach NYU, he can't get out of the car fast enough.

Luke calls after him before he can make a run for the huge complex of school buildings.

"Moose!" The kid turns around.

"Catch." Luke throws the apple he's brought. Moose catches it effortlessly and Luke watches with a smile as the kid clamps the fruit between his teeth, while he jogs away, pulling a sheet of folded paper out of one of his sweater-jacket's pockets.

He turns the car around and heads back home.

* * *

><p>Moose rushes through the hallways of the New York University's main building complex and turns the building plan around for the third time. He has no idea where the hell he is or where he should be for that matter. With a frustrated sigh, Moose balls up the plan and throws it in the general direction of a garbage can.<p>

He was never good at reading those things and this place is like a fucking labyrinth. A very modern, bright and busy labyrinth.

Luckily that's the moment he turns a corner and almost runs into Camille. She looks mad.

"Moose!" From her, even his nickname sounds accusing. "Where were you yesterday? We were supposed to meet for lunch, remember? I had to eat with my roommate, who smells _so _badly. And she wouldn't stop yammering about her pet rat's blog!" She does that thing with her hands, waves them around in front of herself, like she always does when she's exasperated about something.

Moose feels sorry. Last night was just so weird. He has no idea how to assimilate everything that happened. He does not want to think about it. Any distraction is a welcome one.

"We should hook our roommates up then." He says, doing his best to sound light and unconcerned. "Because mine looks exactly like a rat! He has the claws and everything! Eew."

Camille can't help but laugh at his stupid joke. He's always known how to get her.

"There you go." He says and smiles at her. He's always liked her best when she's laughing. He needs to focus on the things ahead of him though. As in two minutes ahead of him. "Now, you need to help me find my engineering class." He says and looks around to maybe get a hint as to where he's maneuvered himself in his haste.

Camille steps to the side and points at a sign on the wall next to the door she's just stepped away from. It says 'Intro to Engineering, Section 4."

Moose's face lights up. Thank god, he's not going to be late after all! "What would I do without you?"

She looks at him as he brushes past her and into the classroom, eyebrows knitted in concern.

"I don't know." He can hear her say. "I really don't know."

Then the doors fall shut behind him and her silhouette disappears from his view.

Sometimes he doesn't know either.

* * *

><p>When Luke steps out of the elevator, a strong bass-beat greets him. It's half past eight and that means that all of the pirates should be off elsewhere, which only leaves one person.<p>

He hangs his coat on the rack and slips upstairs quietly to change into fresh clothes. God knows he needs them. His old ones are all wrinkled and they reek of smoke, beer and sweat. That's what you get for spending the night in a club and then sleeping in your clothes, he guessed.

After he's fresh again, Luke takes a short detour to the bathroom to wash his face and then heads downstairs again, making his way towards the speaker room.

It's not really a room. They've just opted to call it that. Actually it is a corner of the vault. It's the place they practice most of the time. Luke built it himself a few years back. He's kind of proud of it actually.

'The speaker room' is a large square of polished grey linoleum on the floor with one or two barres lining it. The heart and the name-giving element though are the two walls lined to the ceiling with boom boxes, one upon the other. All functioning and connected.

Right now they are blasting a song from some CD one of the Santiago twins left in the player yesterday.

The girl from last night is there.

She's dancing. Twirling and bending to the music.

Luke knows that it takes years of training to be able to move like that. For a moment he just stands there and watches her. He likes her style. It's interesting.

After a little while Luke steps forward.

"I see you're up early."

At the sound of his voice she startles out of her rhythm and turns around. When she sees Luke, she walks to the speakers and turns off the music.

"Looks like you've found the speaker-room." Luke says and smiles. "I built it myself when you could actually find boom boxes around the city."

She smiles back at him coyly. "Impressive."

Her face looks very pretty like that. It reminds him of Moose, even though her smile is more serious, more mature.

Extending a hand he walks towards her. "I'm Luke."

She takes it in a firm grip. "Natalie." She says. "I had no place to stay and your friend – Jacob, I think – he offered me somewhere to sleep."

"I know." Luke shrugs good-naturedly. "I told him to."

"Well." Natalie squeezes his hand again before letting go. "Thank you, then."

"No problem. Actually, you can stay here as long as you want. Your dancing is very good. I want you to be a part of The Pirates. We could use someone like you for the World Jam."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I've seen you dance in the club a few times."

"The World Jam is a pretty big deal."

"Well, we're a pretty good crew." Luke says and crosses his arms over his chest confidently. "You'll see for yourself later. Right now though, we need to get a bit of speed on you."

Natalie laughs and steps into the middle of the dance floor.

"Alright." She smiles crookedly and gives him a challenging look.

"Not here." Luke answers her smile and jerks his chin towards the stairs. "The training grounds are up there."

The door to the roof is old and heavy and it creaks in its hinges when Luke pulls it open. Natalie follows him outside. He takes a deep breath, taking in the smell of concrete and exhaust fumes and the endless sky above them. Up here the world is wide and free and borders are just obstacles on his course that wait to be overcome.

"Come on." He says and breaks into a run. Natalie is right behind him.

Luke has no particular route in mind, he just follows his feet and takes on whatever looks like a challenge, but halfway there he realizes that his body has already set a destination. He smiles to himself and keeps on going.

* * *

><p>Moose takes the only free seat left in the classroom. Apparently everyone else has set a little more value on being on time than him. Or maybe their circumstances were just more fortunate than his.<p>

He tries hard not to think as he unpacks his stuff. Not to think about what happened last night, about the fact that, if what the doctors said is true, that was probably just the opening act and that it will keep happening until he remembers everything, whether he wants to or not. That prospect frightens him more than it has any right to. It knots his stomach and tightens his throat.

He also tries not to think about this morning and how he woke up in some guy's- Luke, whom he'd only met yesterday - bed with no recollection whatsoever of how he'd gotten there. Which was kind of scary too. If Moose had freaked anything as bad as he suspected last night, he really does not want to know what kind of impression that has to have left on Luke.

Luke, the guy with the warm smile and awesome running skills.

Right.

Moose shifts his attention to the professor, who's just finished arranging his things and is in the middle of his welcoming speech.

If he tries hard enough, he can do this, Moose tells himself. He owes that much at least to his parents.

Sighing, he rests his chin on his arms and glances to the side. The boy to his left looks kind of nice so he decides he might as well start to make some friends.

"Hi." He says in a friendly, hushed voice, getting the boy's attention. "I'm Moose. What's your name?"

The guy gives Moose an irate look and straightens his glasses.

"Silence." He mumbles. "'Silence during class' is my name." And shifts his attention back to their professor.

Moose sighs again. So much for that.

After that he just sits there and tries to concentrate on what the professors is saying about basic circuitry.

When his cell rings, telling him that he's gotten a message, he's almost glad even though the unfriendly dude next to him snorts an irritated remark.

He flips open his phone and is surprised to see that the message is from Luke. Moose thinks he gave him his number yesterday, but the memory is kind of fuzzy.

The text says 'Time for training. Look left. Way left.' So he does.

There's a window to his left and through it he can see the roof of the building on the other side of the street. And there Luke is, standing on the edge of the fire escape with some girl Moose hasn't seen before, waving and pulling his shirt over his face.

"No way." Moose breathes out incredulously and can't stifle a laugh.

Luke makes a beckoning gesture for Moose to join them.

It's his first day of classes and Moose knows that he shouldn't even be considering it, but before he's given himself time to think about it Moose has grabbed his stuff and made up some excuse to get out of there and is headed for the exit.

He doesn't know what it is, but something about Luke draws Moose in, whether he wants it or not.

When he gets out into the open, he breathes freely for the first time today.

* * *

><p>AN: Thank you for taking the time to read this :)


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Stronger (3/?)

Author: Yukichouji

Beta: The wonderful and amazing **khaleesian **(Lj).

Pairing: Luke/Moose, Others/Moose

Rating: NC-17

Warnings: Swearing, Violence, Non-con (Hinted at in this chapter, more explicit later), Dancing and Hip-Hop Music

Disclaimer: They are clearly not mine. Probably better that way.

Notes: So here we have the next chapter, finally. There's probably a little something I should mention for comperhensions sake. For anyone who owns the DVD and has spent some time exploring the extras the 'Sneaker-Montage' should ring a bell. It is one of the 'deleted scenes'. Originally there was going to be a sequence of Moose and Natalie getting to try on all fo the different sneakers, before they went on with the tour to the Graffiti-room. In the end-version of the movie it was cut out and parts of it were integrated into the sequence that shows Moose and Natalie in training with the rest of the Pirates. Since I liked the original version of the 'Sneaker-Montage' I took it into my fic and placed it where it was originally ment to be. Now that you know that, confusion should not ensue :)

Notes2: I will take the time to reply to those of the reviews that have quiestions in them in a bit, I promise. With one acceptance. Since I have no other way to contact you, I am answerign your comment here, **Lia**: First of all, thank you very much for taking the time to write such a detailed comment! I took great pleasure in reading it :) The issue you have pointed out may seem tiny, but it is kind of vital and to my shame I have to admit that that little detail had completely slipped my mind O.o I have no idea how that happened since, in hindsight, it is so obvious. Thanks a lot for pointing it out. You really saved me there. And you gave me some nice ideas for the future flow of the stories. I will be able to integrate that nicely :) I hope you'll keep enjoying the fic, dear! :)

To all others: Thank you again for your prais and your support and of course your constructive criticism, which is always much appreciated! :)

Note3: (last one, promise) Since I am such an awfully slow writer, I have decided to give a continuing update to my writing-progress in my user-profile, so that anyone whoe may me interested can check the status of the next chapter and waiting might be made a bit easier. That being said, lots of love to my fallow slashers out there and I hope you all enjoy this chapter :) You have waited long enough for it after all.

* * *

><p>The girl's name is Natalie.<p>

With her open and funny demeanor, she reminds Moose of Andie a little. Memories of his time at the MSA coalesce in his mind while they climb their way to the Vault looking over the rooftops of New York City, the air around them cool and wide.

The memories are bitter-sweet, they leave him feeling heavy and nostalgic.

He misses his friends from before The Streets. He doesn't miss the pain that came after or how the way they looked at him changed.

Luke and Natalie lead the way. They joke and laugh, but Luke keeps turning around to smile at Moose, warm and open. Moose can't help but return that smile.

When they make it to the old warehouse and Luke pushes open the rusted steel door, Moose can hear the voices and music from down below. The music never seems to be off in this place.

He thinks he likes that.

Moose values constants he can hold onto when the world keeps on shifting and churning around him. This one feels right and alive somehow.

On their way across the landing to the other side of the Vault, they pass the room Moose woke up in this morning and he pushes the memory aside hastily, before he can start blushing like a girl and embarrass himself even more. Luke seems to have forgotten all about it; he acts as he did yesterday when they first met – _only yesterday_ – easy and forthright.

They walk down a shorter flight of stairs and Moose spots the Santiago twins, in the middle of some kind of discussion – he can't really make out what they're saying -, but the two detect them pretty quickly. Natalie especially.

If they were all over Moose last night, they are practically falling over each other to get _her_ attention now. It's kind of funny, even though Natalie seems torn between confusion and amusement rather than being flattered. Moose thinks he might be able to like her.

"Come on guys." Luke says good-naturedly and breaks up the commotion. "Why don't we show these newbies why we call this a vault?"

The twins go from aimless excitement to gleeful anticipation so fast, it makes Moose feel dizzy.

The two make a big show of leading them to another room, one that Moose hasn't seen yet, and one of the twins conjures up a remote out of nowhere.

"Ladies and gentlemen. Our most prized possession." They solemnly proclaim and when the one holding the remote hits a button, lights flash up, one after another, illuminating rows and rows of sneakers in all colors of the fucking rainbow.

They are presented extravagantly, each pair on its own small platform affixed to black iron poles that stretch from the floor to the high ceiling. The lights are focused like lasers with what must have been hours and hours of work to make it look as if the shoes are glowing. It has to be one of the sickest things Moose has ever seen.

"Check it out." Luke says and Moose doesn't need to be told twice.

He steps forward, mouth agape in speechless wonder while he tries to take in all of the treasures laid out in front of him. On his first sweep he can spot more than one pair of limited editions.

"If dance is our weapon, then this is our armor." Moose distantly hears one of the Santiagos say while he devoutly walks along the rows of gleaming fabric and rubber, afraid to make a sound, to disturb the way in which these masterpieces are whispering to him.

"These are the most beautiful shoes in the world, man. The way they feel, the way they smell." The strong Spanish accent makes it sound kind of like a prayer and Moose feels himself agree wholeheartedly.

And then he sees them. The silver and black and green of the limited edition Gun Metal Nike Dunks is something close to a revelation and he reaches out a hand to hesitantly, carefully run his fingers across the rough, worn material. Under his touch it almost feels alive.

He slides his hands underneath the white rubber soles and picks them up slowly, tentatively like he's afraid they might break and stares at them in awe.

"Luke's lucky-shoes?" One of the twins says and Moose can hear the content in those words. "Smart boy."

Luke's. That's right. They're Luke's.

A light fluttering feeling starts in his stomach, like the thrumming vibration of a bass drum, and tingles up his throat to his face, where it widens his mouth into a soft, happy smile.

Moose sets the Nikes back into their place cautiously, loves how the silver reflects the light slightly.

"Alright, Moose. Don't get too attached." Luke says, relaxed and confident. "You gotta earn your kicks in this house."

Moose turns around, sees Luke sprawled comfortably on a low backless easy chair, sees him grinning and the feeling in his stomach grows stronger. It's as though Luke can see right through him to everything he is.

"Hey!" One of the twins calls out brightly and Luke's attention shifts away from Moose, breaking the moment and leaving Moose feeling dizzy and unsure. "Why don't we let them try out some of our babies?"

"Yes, yes!" The other answers just as excited and then he jumps up and runs off down the stairs and out of sight. A few minutes later Moose can hear music blast from all around and, lured by the beats, the rest of the Pirates emerge from all corners of the warehouse, drawn towards the rhythm like moths drawn to the light. All of them smiling and laughing.

Moose feels the tingling in his stomach grow until it spreads up into his head and leaves him feeling too light, like he's floating above ground somehow. It's amazing.

Then someone presses the first pair of sneakers into his unresisting hands and the shock leaves his body and all of a sudden all he wants to do is move. It's the music; he can feel it so clearly. So he lets himself be carried along by Luke's huge smile, by everyone moving around him dancing, dancing, dancing and joking and laughing and looking so loose and happy with what they are.

Moose moves with the crowd, goes with the motions his body begs him to follow. He lets himself be carried away. Not thinking as Luke does a somersault into a pool of huge foam-squares, grinning at Moose like a madman as Luke climbs out again and motions for Moose to try it.

Moose feels like showing off, so he runs up the padded wall instead and does a textbook backflip before he throws himself into the soft mass of quadratic gray foam.

The kids hand him one pair of sneakers after the other, keeping up a steady flow of little masterpieces made of magnificently colorful fabric and rubber and he tries them on, one by one, feeling the magic run through his body like electricity.

Sometimes, when one of the kids touches him unexpectedly, Moose flinches and feels a short string of panic bubble up inside of him, conjured up by the sudden unexpected contact, but the rest of him feels so at ease and safe that he manages to push it back down and let himself forget. At least for this series of moments. He can hardly remember the last time he's felt this happy and careless and at peace with himself and his mind.

The recollection of the careless times that came before The Streets are so pale and hollow in the shadow cast by everything that came after.

Somehow it's like he's forgotten what it feels like to _live _and is just now beginning to remember.

Moose thinks he'd be perfectly happy if it just went on like this for ever.

He's sitting on the edge of the foam-cube-pool trying on a new pair of sneakers – simple black and white and kind of smelly, he thinks they might be Carlos' – when suddenly Luke jumps up out of the mass of squares and Moose's heart stops for a split second before Luke just grabs him by the hips and lets himself fall back into the foam squares, pulling Moose along with him.

They sink below the surface of pillowy gray, the warm sunlight fading away and they're all tangled up in each other, arms and legs and their faces are so close Moose can taste Luke's breath. It's a mixture of different things, there's a whiff of mint toothpaste, something sugary entwined with the scent of milk, maybe cereal from his breakfast, and Coke and a hint of something that is just Luke.

Moose closes his eyes and breathes in deeply feeling lightheaded. Luke's hands on his hips are broad and so warm they almost scorch his skin through four layers of fabric.

His body fills up with a new desire. Wanting more contact, it urges him to move forwards just that last bit until he can touch, until he can _feel_, but then Luke pulls up and away and Moose is alone, buried under a pool of soft foam cubes feeling lost.

Just a moment later though, a hand breaches the gray, grabs his upper arm and pulls him back to the surface. The first thing Moose sees is Luke's grinning face. Then someone else jumps out of the corner of Moose's vision, grabs Luke and throws him right back in. All Moose can do is pull himself up out of the pool and onto mostly solid floor and laugh along as Luke throws himself onto the other kid and starts to tickle him for revenge.

They go on like that for the rest of the day. Just dancing and joking, fooling around and reveling in the carelessness of it all as long as they possibly can.

The Santiago twins even try to teach Moose how to tap-dance, but he completely fails at it and everyone ends up laughing.

Later, when the commotion has died down and everyone is scattered around the first floor in little groups, leaning back and relaxing, Luke gets up and winks at Moose and Natalie, beckoning them to come with him.

"Time to get on with the tour." He says easily, looking happy and at ease.

Moose lifts himself up and follows Natalie following Luke to a corner of the warehouse Moose hasn't seen yet. There's a big, heavy-looking steel sliding door, marking a heavy contrast to the white painted wall with its rusty red color. It looks old.

Luke pushes it open with little effort.

"And behind door number two: The Graffiti-room." He announces leading the way inside.

"What?" Natalie exclaims and Moose definitely gets what she means.

The room looks like his dad's basement, just about a million times cooler. First of all the light is actually _green_ and the room has no windows so it feels a bit like walking into another world. There are workbenches scattered along the walls and across the room, lined or littered with all kinds of tools. Some of them look familiar to Moose, others not so much. There is other stuff, way too much to take it all in. Moose is pretty sure there's some kind of system behind all of it, but he'd probably need a month to figure it out.

Behind a veil of metal cords hanging from the ceiling Moose spots someone. A boy who looks to be a bit older than Luke, African-American, tall, broad and engrossed in his work, a strange pair of goggles obscuring his face. Some rolled up piles of cable block his view, so Moose can't see what it is exactly that he's working on.

"Who's that guy?" He asks Luke, because he can't remember seeing him before.

"That's Jason." Luke explains. "He's our graffiti-guru. I'm talking electronic billboard hacks, LED lights, pretty much anything."

Then Jason spots them. He jumps up, pulls the goggles down from his face and greets Luke with a brotherly cool handshake-thing.

"Excellent timing!" He cheers, making a strange picture with his stained white dungarees and the colorfully patterned cap. "I've been working on a portable light tagging system and I can't figure out how to get it to stick to a 12V battery."

While Jason speaks, Moose walks around the metal framework Jason has been using as his work station and takes in what he's been doing. Doesn't look bad at all, it's just lacking the final touches.

"Do you have any electrical tape?" Moose asks and when Jason hands him a strip Moose takes it and gathers up one of the small LED lights, a battery and a tiny magnet.

"OK, check this out." He says and presses the battery to the bottom of the light until it starts to glow, then adds the magnet and uses the tape to fix everything together. "Tape it right there, wrap it around and then create a snug fit."

"You know lights?" Jason asks, sounding pretty impressed.

Moose shrugs it off casually. "Yeah, I dabble."

He throws the tiny light and it catches nicely on one of the metal cords, glowing a bright neon-pink.

Jason jumps up excitedly while Moose picks up what he needs for a second one.

"Ye-Yes! I love this kid!" Jason shouts out and claps Moose's shoulder hard enough to shake his whole body and Moose can't help but notice that Jason is fucking _strong._ Then more calmly, like he's running it through his mind and memorizing the mechanics. "The LED to the magnet to the battery."

Moose hands a new one to Natalie and she throws hers as well, watching as it catches on the metal cord next to the first one Moose made.

"They're beautiful." She says. "Like neon-fireflies."

"Or neo-flies." Jason nods to himself looking pleased.

"Neo-flies." Natalie repeats, trying out the word and she seems to like it because she smiles contently.

"Yeah, neo-flies." Jason says, arms crossed over his chest confidently, his muscles flexing nicely. "That's great."

Luke smiles at Moose and Moose quietly smiles back.

Moose has to remind himself that he hardly even knows Luke, for all that he's already seen, and that he should be a lot more careful, more cautious, that he should know better than to trust someone so completely after so little time, but the strange gravity Luke emits has already drawn him in.

Somewhere in the back of his mind Moose knows that it's far too late to run.

* * *

><p>Later that day, when the light has begun to fade and darkness comes creeping into the alleys around the warehouse the Pirates, every one of them, start to gather around the huge dining table in the kitchen area. Moose has no idea how they manage to make some extra room for him and Natalie, but they do somehow. He finds out that they all eat together every night, coming together like a giant family.<p>

They even divide the chores up between them. Someone has been cooking, there's pasta and tomato sauce and Moose thinks he's never seen a pot so big in his entire life.

It tastes surprisingly good.

Everything looks so 'in place', even though there aren't two plates or cups that match, it's a huge colorful conglomeration of things gathered over time. Each piece battered and marked, telling a story of its own.

Everyone is cheerful and chattering, talking across each other. It never seems to be truly quiet in this place Moose thinks and smiles. He feels a bit awkward, being embraced into this makeshift family so easily.

He's not used to the feeling anymore. The feeling of things being easy.

Jason – he's wearing a set of bright blue glasses now - has brought an old spray can that has been peeled of its labels, littered with the neo-flies they made earlier. It's being passed around the table, earning smiles and appreciative looks. Seems like the rest of the Pirates like them as well.

Luke sits just across from Moose and Moose tries to eat and not let the way Luke keeps watching him make him nervous, because when Moose is nervous he does stupid shit like talk too much or choke on his food or spill his drink. He tries and fails. Although by some miracle he manages to keep his water in his cup and his food where it's supposed to be and to not make a complete fool of himself.

Moose is very grateful for that.

When most of them are finished eating and some kids have gotten up to linger nearby – the Santiago twins have taken a post at the piano somewhere behind Moose and the melody they've set threads itself through the conversation like it belongs nowhere else. Carlos steps to the head of the table right next to where Moose is sitting. Carlos props his foot onto his chair easily and whistles to get everyone's attention.

"Listen up." He says as soon as conversation has died down and the twins have ceased their piano-playing. "The World Jam is right around the corner. But to get there, we've got to get through the two qualifying rounds, which means-"

"Which means." Luke takes over and looks around the table to make sure everybody's listening. "We've got our work cut out for us." Then he shifts his gaze across the table. "Moose, Natalie, are you guys in?"

Moose looks over at Natalie, who has been sitting next to him throughout the meal and she returns his gaze. The Santiagos play a horror-movie-tune on the piano, the kind you hear before you turn the crucial corner and get your head chopped off by the local psycho.

Everyone laughs and it gives Moose a moment to catch his breath, but not for long because Luke's expectant gaze is plastered right onto him.

"I-I don't know." He stutters out feeling stupid. "I mean, I have to go to school. I can't just-"

Luke doesn't even let him finish his sentence. "We'll figure something out." Luke says, like it's already decided, like Moose's answer is only pro-forma.

Moose hesitates. This is not what he'd planned at all. Actually he didn't have a plan, but god, if his parents found out he'd started dancing again… He could clearly envision the disappointment on their faces. He'd promised.

But hasn't he already broken that promise, isn't he doing so right now, just by being here?

Then one of the other kids starts to chant "Pirates, Pirates" and the next thing Moose knows everyone has joined in, clapping onto the table to create a demanding rhythm, faster and faster until Moose can feel it vibrating through his bones.

Finally, he caves and gives in.

"I can do one battle, guys." Moose admits and lifts his hands in surrender.

They stop their chanting to clap and cheer and Moose does his best to convince himself that he doesn't want this or that the approving look on Luke's face, that smile, doesn't make his throat tighten up with some emotion he cannot name.

He is in way over his head in this one, Moose cringes and sinks further against the back of his chair, fighting the urge to wash his face in his hands, while Luke quiets his Pirates down.

"Alright." He says, like it's all been a piece of cake. "Natalie?"

Luke shifts his attention to her and apparently she's not the type to waste any time. She picks up her mug and jumps up out of her chair, lifting her drink in a salute to the others. She calls out "House of Pirates" and everyone breaks out cheering again, some lifting their glasses as well to match her gesture.

Luke's grin spreads across his entire face and his eyes light up while he watches the rest of his friends, _family _as he has told Moose, jump up determined to get a proper celebration going as fast as possible.

This is his cue, Moose thinks, his chance to slip away unnoticed while the others are engrossed in their joyful bustle. He's been in New York for two days and hasn't seen his dorm room at NYU once after he got his stuff up there with his parents. His luggage is probably still left in his room untouched with his roommate wondering what's going on. He hasn't showered either or changed his clothes for that matter. It really is about time to go.

He also desperately needs some time to think. Sort this _thing_ here, whatever it is, out in his head. Maybe lose a little bit of the confusion that has so deliberately taken over his life since yesterday. Maybe think of a better way to react the next time he gets blindsided like he did just now.

Sighing, he quietly slips from his chair, trying not to draw any attention.

Moose is grateful he memorized the way they took over the roof tops earlier so he won't have to ask anyone – Luke – to take him back. Now all Moose has to do is remember where he left his backpack…

He thinks he might have taken it off when they started to try on the sneakers so he steals up the stairs back to the sneaker room. It reminds him of a museum at night now with all of the lights out and the shoes on their little platforms cast in shadows like expensive exhibits waiting for a new day of being admired.

It does seem a bit eerie too though, and he feels weird, sneaking around like this. So he searches faster.

But he comes up empty. Moose curses quietly and scratches his head, trying to remember where else he could have left his bag. He doesn't really remember, he was pretty sure he'd left it here actually, his eyes pass over the place as he considers and light on Luke's room.

Moose is certain that his pack can't be in there, he hasn't set foot in that room since he woke up there, but a quiet part of him is curious. He didn't really get the chance to take a closer look at anything this morning; he was in such a hurry to get out of there. Now though…

He looks around, but there's no-one up here, everybody is downstairs busy with their little celebration and it doesn't seem like they've noticed that he's gone yet. Eventually curiosity wins and he quietly treads over to the three open doorways that look like they used to be gates when this was still a warehouse. He passes through to Luke's room, nervously worrying his bottom lip between his teeth.

This is such a bad idea, all of it, he just knows it, but the urge, the _need _to find out more about Luke, about the person he is, is stronger than his guilty conscience.

Holding his breath and feeling like a burglar, Moose slips through the doorway and into the semi-darkness of Luke's room. Some silly part of him is just waiting for alarms to go off and unmask his little scheme.

Moose takes a deep breath to steady himself and his foolishly racing heart and then takes the time to really look around.

There, just to his left, is the bed he woke up in this morning. It's a single bed, way too small for two people or at least it should be. It is part of a cupboard…like it used to fold up like a Murphy bed. Behind the head of the bed a huge hotel sign has been turned onto its side to cover the wall behind.

All of the shelves around the bed are filled with dozens and dozens of small cassettes that look to be from a video camera, the one Moose saw Luke with in the park when they met for the first time or later in the club comes to mind. There are more cassettes in the shelves over Luke's desk too and huge film rolls scattered on a small nightstand.

The walls are windowless bare concrete, gray and cold. There are a few easy chairs strewn across the room but all of the furniture, even the bedding is either brownish or a dark, dirty green and it gives the room an almost oppressive air.

All in all, aside from the bed and the TV, it reminds Moose a bit of the graffiti room. Maybe it looks friendlier when the lights are on, Moose thinks.

What catches his attention though, on the second sweep, is the gear spread across Luke's desk. Moose steps forwards to take a closer look. It's really cool. There are three different computer screens, all of them high-tech, and a laptop as well, plus some other stuff that's unfamiliar.

All of it looks like it's being used often and cared for. Kept in good shape. Moose carefully slides his fingers across the closed shell of the laptop. It's smooth and clean.

Someone quietly clearing their throat jerks Moose out of his thoughts and his heart seizes like it wants to stop. He spins around to find Jacob standing in the still-dark doorway, arms crossed inquisitively over his chest.

Moose swallows hard and scrambles for something to say. "H-hey." He stutters out. "I-I was… looking for my backpack! I thought I'd left it in the sneaker room, but it wasn't there so I thought I might have left it here, but I couldn't find it here either so I was just about to go look somewhere else. I need to find my cell, really, because my mom makes me call her once a day and I haven't called her today yet and she gets really worried so I kind of need to call her now so – have you seen my backpack?"

Yeah, Moose definitely has a habit of starting to babble when he's nervous or startled. On the good side, it tends to distract people before they get mad. At least sometimes. Jacob looks kind of unimpressed.

"Uhm, sorry?" Moose tries, but Jacob just raises one of his eyebrows and keeps staring at him.

When Moose is about ready to forget about his backpack entirely and just _bolt_, Luke's voice breaks the silence and Moose feels himself lurch again as Luke walks into his field of vision.

"Hey, Jacob. Have you seen –" Luke's sentence falls short when he follows Jacob's gaze and he notices Moose as well. "Moose." He says, a small smile on his lips. "Everyone's looking for you."

Jacob still doesn't say anything so Moose takes a chance. "Yeah, sorry. I was looking for my backpack. Can't remember where I left it."

"Oh." Luke looks like he just remembered something himself and walks into the room, not bothering to turn on the light. He heads to a corner on Moose's left where he pushes aside a jacket and lifts Moose's backpack into the air so Moose can clearly see it.

"I put it away earlier so it wouldn't get lost in the commotion. Stuff tends to disappear and turn up in the strangest places around here sometimes." Luke says and smiles apologetically. "You need to go?" He asks when Moose takes his backpack from him.

"Yeah, sorry. " Moose glances at Jacob out of the corer of his eyes quickly, but Moose can see that he's smiling too now and a bit of the tension drains out of him.

"Don't worry." Luke says and places a warm, broad hand on the small of Moose's back, just under his shoulder blades – he can feel it so clearly – and starts to guide Moose out of the room. "Come on, I'll take you."

"Uhm, thanks." Moose manages to say. He tries not to look too desperate, clinging to his backpack. He's not quite sure he succeeds.

* * *

><p>Thank you for reading and see you all soon (hopefully)! :)<p> 


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